Cancer Education and Career Development Program

Abstract

Prospective trainees: See the program's Web site at http://cecdp.ihrp.uic.edu for details, including eligibility requirements, the application process and information about current trainees.

The Cancer Education and Career Development Program (CECDP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago offers three-year predoctoral and postdoctoral training positions in the conduct of independent cancer research, focused on addressing cancer disparities.

In the United States, disparities have been documented by race or ethnicity and socioeconomic status for all leading causes of morbidity and mortality, including cancer. Understanding and eliminating these disparities is a national priority. These efforts have been limited by the lack of broad racial/ethnic minority representation among clinicians and researchers who are academically prepared to conduct this type of research. To prepare promising scholars to conduct research in the critical area of cancer disparities across the cancer prevention, control, and survivorship continuum, we continue the University of Illinois at Chicago’s successful Cancer Education and Career Development Program. The purpose of the program is to provide predoctoral students and postdoctoral associates with exceptional cancer disparities training. Toward that goal, we have developed a comprehensive curriculum that contains seven areas of emphasis, with a specific focus on health disparities across the cancer continuum. Each trainee participates in a mentorship research experience in the context of a multidisciplinary team research project, which provides the trainee with an opportunity to develop his or her own independent research while having ongoing support and feedback from program directors and mentors.